West Coast Ride – Day Nine

Time change got me this morning. Woke up at 8:00, an hour later than normal. But no worries, short day today, only 300 miles. Another cool start but only in the lower 60’s. Yet even with my jacket on, I still caught a chill.

Leaving out of Meridian I ran into more desert scenery that quickly changed to more farmland, lots of corn. A couple of stockyards too. The smell was proof enough of their existence but each had several hundred head of cattle. The hazy smoke was still hanging out making it difficult to see the mountains around me.

Stopped for gas in Bliss and found a little diner inside the gas station. Decided on a late breakfast. Couple of eggs, pile of hash browns, sausage and some toast. Hit the spot, haven’t had a solid breakfast since Clovis.

With my belly full and butt rested, I wound my way through more foothills and along the Snake River. I exited I-84 and headed south towards Nevada. Coming into Twin Falls I crossed the Snake River one last time. Over the course of thousands of years the river has cut a massive canyon into the landscape. The canyon was large enough to hold a golf course. I say this because it actually had a golf course in it.

I crossed into Nevada and finally got the state sign photo that eluded me days before. The small town of Jackpot lay just ahead. A few casinos and a couple of motels was all it held. Back to more desert landscapes. This part of the Nevada desert held very few signs of life. Aside from the road and it’s travelers, there was no sign of mankind anywhere. Apparently this part of Nevada is also in the migratory path of deer. Not only are there signs everywhere but there are wildlife bridges crossing the highway, designed to allow the animals to cross the highway safely. The bridges are 4-6 lanes wide and have the same landscaping as the land around them. Pretty neat.

A very boring ride through this part of Nevada. Same scenery for over a hundred miles. And no change in the smoke either. By the time I reached Utah my nose and sinuses were burning, still are.

Wendover, Utah lies right on the border. A single block ride and I’d be back in Nevada. Wendover is also home the Bonneville Salt Flats and International Speedway. Miles of flat salt land left over from Lake Bonneville which covered much of Utah until about 14,500 years ago. Truly a sight to see. Even better without the smoke I’m sure. I wanted to take Libby out and really let her loose. Decided against it. Salt can wreak havoc on your electrical system and electrical systems can be quite expensive to repair for automobiles. You can easily double that for a bike.

Also met a nice lady while out there. Forget her name but we chatted for quite a while. Learned she was originally from El Paso, Texas, born in 1954 at Providence Hospital. She has a daughter in the Dallas area. Her and her husband Gary (remembered his name for some reason) live back east and have been traveling the country with their camper. We shared stories of travels for a good 45 minutes before parting ways. She wished me well, told me to be safe and warned me to be off the road before dark. She spoke as a mother and her concern was genuine. Was a nice close to my day on the road.

I’ve met many people on this journey. On every journey really. Sharing stories with strangers is always fun. I will likely never meet any of these people again, but a few minutes with a new friend here and there adds to a lifetime of stories to tell.